It is perhaps the least celebrated staple of the festive lunch table. The Christmas cracker is discarded as soon as you have raised an eyebrow at your miniature comb. And the hoary old jokes within are seen as being as disposable as the flimsy paper hats.
But groan-worthy gags have a loyal – and often well-heeled – audience. Even Fortnum & Mason’s £1,000 set of six Regal Crackers (with gifts such as a sterling silver honey drizzler) comes with the cheapest of rib-ticklers.
